Ritz Carlton. Kuala Lumpur - a few qns
 

Message: Hi

If anyone can answer these questions that would be great:

1. Ritz Carlton pool - does it get much sun? If it is shaded over is it just the morning, or afternoon, or all day? Seen conflicting reports on the web.

2. Is it easy to access Jalan Bukit Bintang from the hotel?

thanks

There is easy access from the hotel to Jalan Bukit Bintang. The Ritz Carleton is attached to the JW Marriott via an upscale shopping center. The JW is on JBB.

You know, I remember seeing the pool, but I wasn't especially interested in it (I was more interested in the lovely spa area and the steam), so I can't tell you about the sun/share situation.

I stayed there and Jalan Bukit Binting is a very short walk from the hotel...but within enough distance not to get all the noise and busyness of that street. The hotel was great especially the Club level or whatever they call it...where you get a 24-hour personal butler....which I paid only $108. for with a free upgrade in April 2001...and there were about 5 culinary presentations per day included in the room rate. So look into club level.As for the pool, I never saw it...couldn't leave my gorgeous room to even look for it. Happy Travels!

Guenmai, I was interested to discover that ALL of the rooms at the Ritz Carleton in KL have butler service and all have Club access (it's the only Ritz in the world like that). The differences are whether you have a regular room or an executive room (much larger).

The pool did not interest me. I could see it from my room and it looked small and there wasn't much sunlight. I love the location though. One day on my way back from shopping on JBB, it started to rain, but there were plenty shops and hotels along the way where I could wait till the rain lightened.

Hi, we stayed at The Ritz-Carlton in February 2005. We were upgraded to an executive suite. The pool is not that great. You will get some sun during the day, but mostly it is in the shade. The gym is ok. The spa area is not what you expect from such an hotel. The sauna, steambath, lockers is good, but the massage facilities is not worthy of Ritz Carlton.

Everyone who books a room at this hotel will get acsess to the Rit Lounge situated on the top floor. Here you can enjoy beer, wine and drinks all day and it is for free. The breakfast is quite good, but not extraordinary compared to other 5 star hotels. It is easy acsess to Bukit Bintang. A 2 minute stroll in the hallway and throught the Lot 10 and then you are there. The rates are very good, the staff friendly and you get free drinks and complimentary laundry. Great value. Last year we stayed at the Regent (Bukit Bintang) and Ritz was much better

I've been at the RC last January. It is indeed very close to Bukit Bintang but you don't hear the noise from the street. I like the fact that the hotel isn't that big, compared to other KL chain hotels. The pool isn't really special and if I were you I'd avoid the Ritz Carlton for the next few months, because RC is building residences just next to the hotel. If you swim in the pool your view will be the construction work. Around the pool are plastic loungers, although not the the cheap quality ones. The pool isn't that great but pool service is excellent(they serve water, oranges an plenty towels). The rest of the hotel is amazing with a very friendly service!

I don't know about the pool, it is a short walk to Bintang as everyone said...but I wanted to add that though the Ritz is well priced....so are most hotels in KL....I would try another hotel. We stayed there in February and I was really dissapointed. Sure it has the Ritz name and a butler but all that sounds better than it really is.
We took 2 executive suites for the family, one of them was smokey even though it was non smoking, getting to the rooms are like walking through a rat maze, the lobby is so mediocre that you could be at a 3 star hotel, the breakfast is mediocre, the furniture is rather old, the windows are so small in the living room that you feel couped up and ready to leave the unit rather than stay and hang out. The suite though is very big. (Almost half of it is taken up by the 1 1/2 baths). We moved after two nights to the Westin next door and breathed a sign of relief. Finally some real luxury... for the same price!!!

I didn't have the above experience at all. Happy Travels!

I'm just back from KL where we stayed at the Ritz in an Executive Suite.
It's just a short stroll to JBB but I doubt I would stay at the Ritz again.
The furniture is looking a bit jaded in places and the Club floor is nothing special (not a patch on the RC in Singapore).As for the breakfast,it's rather plain and ordinary, definitely not 5 star.The only thing in it's favour - it's cheap for a Ritz.
Next time,if we stay in the same area it'll be the Westin,if not,definitely the MO at KLCC.

True...the Ritz Carlton in Singapore is absolutely beautiful...especially if one has a harbor view...but for the $54.00 I paid of the $108 room rate...a friend and I split the cost...for a huge Club level room... at the Ritz Carlton in KL, I'm not complaining...I would have gotten a no-star, closet spaced room had it been in Europe for that price...or maybe just a closet.I had an incredible stay, at the Ritz Carlton... and received equally incredible service. However,maybe things have changed. I stayed there in spring of 2001. Happy Travels!

Guenmai-you hit the nail on the head- its one of the main reasons we no longer tour Europe- the dollar just does not get you very far any more over the pond!

Bill...It's SO true. But, I still do Paris once a year, for 6 days...although I know that for the same amount of money I could do Bangkok for two-three weeks. It's hard to pay the 127 Euros for my closet-sized hotel room in Paris... with no breakfast included. But, as I sit in it...I pretend I'm either in my room at the YMCA in Singapore...which is better than many of my Parisian rooms and for only $47. a night...breakfast included... and with a pool, an inexpensive internet cafe, and real cheap laundry service...or... I dream that I'm in my room at the Four Seasons Bangkok!At least at the Ritz in KL, I got around 5-6 culinary presentations a day...included in the room rate.That alone was worth more than the $54.00 I paid for my gorgeous room and view!In Paris, a few months ago, I went to the local cafe...where I've gone for over 2 decades and ordered a HALF a bottle of water...since the supermarket across the street was closed...it was both my arrival day and a Sunday. Well, I was presented a bill for 5.5 Euros(approx.$7.65).Although I'm used to European prices, I still nearly passed out! Happy Travels!

$7.65 for water !!!! Yikes and did you get an attitude to go with that???
Give me my 5 star- fall all over you- hotel in Asia any day! When I'm on vacation I want to live like a king and be treated like one. The room spacious and the bathroom as well (wife requires that!). I like the warm friendly service that you get in Asia- never an attitude.
We do enjoy Europe-but alas not at those prices! We simply would not enjoy ourselves.

No there was no bad attitude...or I should say no"over the top" bad attitude. The tourist board, back in the 90s, really got on folks about getting "Nice" since travelers were fed up with the bad attitudes. So things have gotten a bit gentler.Plus a strained eceonomy is one sure-fire way to straighten up people's attitudes real fast! Happy Travels!

Well thats encouraging, we used to say that the trouble with Paris is that its full of Parisians!
I always felt that the best combo was having the french food but served by the Vietnamese- you get the best of both worlds =you get the great food and the servive is wonderful!
We have a french bakery here in Houston run by the Vietnamese- a great combination!